Resumen

The Seville Statement, elaborated by scientists from many countries and many specialties, says that since humans were capable of inventing war and developing strategies for it, they are also capable of inventing peace and proposing means for keeping peace. I assume, as a mathematician and mathematics educator, it is my responsibility to make such a proposal. Just as every living species, humans satisfy biological needs of nourishment for survival, of mating for continuation of the species and of sheltering for necessary biological resting and protection against predators. Unique among all living species, humans subject these needs to options that follow their wants. This basic theoretical framework is supported by nuances in the evolution of the species. In all living species, due to many factors not well explained, the results of coalescence in hierarchy gave rise to acts of violence and killing. But, in the homo sapiens species, coalescence has led to coalitional killing and war. The Ethnomathematics Program is presented here as a way of generating, organizing, and diffusing knowledge in cultural identified groups, which offers a possibility of meeting the challenge of proposing and keeping peace.